MS Geoffrey Chaucer

The 2020-built/2021-inaugurated MS Geoffrey Chaucer cruise ship is one of Scylla's newest vessels. Her sisterships are Thomas Hardy (2016), Emily Bronte (2017), Oscar Wilde (2017), Robert Burns (2018), and William Wordsworth (2019).

The Geoffrey Chaucer is owned by the Swiss company Scylla Cruises and exclusively chartered to the UK-based tour operator Riviera Travel for itineraries along the Danube, Rhine, and Moselle rivers, as well as the Dutch waterways. Her primary homeports are Amsterdam (Holland) and Budapest (Hungary).

During the 2021 fall season, the Geoffrey Chaucer and William Wordsworth were time-chartered by Phoenix Reisen, a Bonn-based German cruisetour company.

The vessel (ENI number 07002119) is Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057715) and registered in Basel.

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

The riverboat features an elegant Lobby (entrance hall on Diamond/Upper Deck) with a 24-hour Reception Desk (information and purser services), a Travel Desk (tours, excursions, and onboard bookings), and a Boutique Shop. From the entrance hall, guests enter a stylish forward Bar Lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, comfortable seating, and a full-service bar.

Aft on the Diamond Deck is the Bistro - Lido Restaurant, an alternative to the main Dining Room. The Bistro has its own bar and doubles as a library. It features an outdoor terrace and an open kitchen, serving early breakfast, light lunch, and dinner. In good weather, the floor-to-ceiling windows open fully onto the terrace for al fresco dining. Bistro dining is complimentary, but dinner reservations are required due to limited capacity (10 tables for 2–4 guests). The main Dining Room (on Ruby/Middle Deck) offers single-seating buffet breakfasts and waiter-served lunches and dinners.

On the Emerald/Lower Deck is the Wellness Centre, which includes a Beauty Salon (hairdresser, barber, and nail studio), Fitness Room, and Spa (treatment room for massages). All cabin decks are fully air-conditioned and accessible via a passenger lift and wrought-iron staircase.

The Sun Deck features a Giant Chess Set, Mini Golf (Putting Green), Retractable Awnings (shaded seating area), an aft Pool Deck with a Splash Pool, Jacuzzi, and sunbathing area with loungers and deckchairs, plus full bar service. The forward Navigation Bridge (called the "Wheelhouse" on riverboats) is passenger-accessible and telescopic, allowing it to be lowered when passing under low bridges.

Cabins

Like her sisterships, the Geoffrey Chaucer’s staterooms (88 total) accommodate up to 169 passengers (maximum 176 including single-occupancy cabins). Most cabins feature wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening to a French balcony. Only the Emerald Deck cabins have one fixed, non-opening window located high on the wall.

• All staterooms feature hotel-style twin beds (convertible to double), en-suite bathrooms (WC, shower, single-sink vanity, towels, bath toiletries, large mirror), 40-inch flat HDTV (satellite channels, infotainment system, bow camera real-time views), mini-bar, tea/coffee-making facilities, glass-top table with two armchairs, mirrored dressing table with pouf chair, wardrobe, electronic safe, hairdryer, telephone, individual air-conditioning, and evening turndown service.
• Bathrooms are finished with marble tops, glass-enclosed rain showers, and luxury bath products by Crabtree and Evelyn.
• Some staterooms are available for single occupancy (without a single supplement, subject to availability).
• Deluxe Balcony Suites (on Diamond Deck) offer additional space, a step-out balcony furnished with a table and two chairs (suitable for al fresco dining), and premium cotton bathrobes and slippers.

Itineraries

For Riviera Travel, the Geoffrey Chaucer cruises on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers, as well as the Dutch inland waterways and the Danube Delta (Black Sea). Riviera Travel offers the following cruise itineraries aboard this ship:

• 5-day “Amsterdam, Kinderdijk and the Dutch Bulbfields” – roundtrip from Amsterdam to Enkhuizen, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk, Keukenhof, and Amsterdam. Prices start at approximately GBP 750 per person (double occupancy, porthole cabin). A 4-day drinks package is available onboard, priced from GBP 70 per person.
• 8-day “Bruges, Medieval Flanders, Amsterdam and The Dutch Bulbfields” – roundtrip from Amsterdam to Hoorn, Arnhem, Antwerp, Ghent, Ypres, Bruges, Keukenhof, and back to Amsterdam. Prices start at around GBP 1200 per person.
• 11-day “The Blue Danube with Budapest Extension” (7-day Danube River cruise) – roundtrip from Budapest to Esztergom, Bratislava, Durnstein, Melk, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Visegrad, and Szentendre, with an extended tour to Godollo and Puszta. Prices start at approximately GBP 1550 per person. A 7-day drinks package is offered onboard, priced from GBP 110 per person.
• 15-day “Budapest to the Black Sea – Gems of Eastern Europe” – roundtrip from Budapest to Kalocsa, Pecs, Belgrade, Iron Gates, Pleven, Bucharest, Constanta, Veliko Tarnovo, Arbanassi, Ivanovo, Belogradchik, Lepenski Vir, Novi Sad, Osijek, Vukovar, and back to Budapest. Prices start at around GBP 2300 per person.

Riviera Travel river cruise fares include all onboard meals, accommodation, 24-hour Coffee Station with light snacks, onboard entertainment and enrichment programs, return train travel (optional flights), luxury coach transfers, guided walking tours, and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the ship, including cabins and public areas.

The cruise ship is named after Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) - philosopher, astronomer, very popular English poet (considered the greatest of the Middle Ages / 5th-15th centuries AD) best-known for his magnum opus "Tales of Canterbury". This 24-stories collection was written in the period 1387-1400 when he was appointed Controller of Customs and Justice of Peace. These stories are critical descriptions of iconic characters of the British society (particularly the Church).

The vessel's construction (hull and superstructure, ENI number 7002119) was done at the Vahali Shipyard in Zasavica (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). The 1923-founded Dutch shipbuilding company (Scheepswerf En Machinefabriek Vahali BV) owns and operates yards in Serbia (Belgrade, and Zasavica) and in Holland (Gendt). Vahali Shipyard Zasavica was officially opened in 2013. Following the construction in Serbia, the ship was towed to Holland for final outfitting at Scheepswerf Vahali (Gendt).

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.